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Eggs from two Iowa farms linked to salmonella outbreaks have been recalled, but those still
being laid by possibly infected hens might end up in stores - as pasteurized liquid eggs or in
processed products such as mayonnaise or ice cream.

It's a common practice in the food industry.

After pasteurization, the bacteria "are all going to be dead, and if they're dead, they're not
going to hurt anybody," said University of Illinois food science professor Bruce Chassy.

Officials from the two farms that have recalled more than 500 million eggs said yesterday that
there's no reason not to use the eggs while federal officials investigate the outbreak.

Meanwhile, consumers have become cautious about their use of eggs. Although central Ohioan Lynn
Bowers likes the taste of raw cookie dough, she's become hesitant to indulge for fear of getting
sick from the raw eggs in the batter.

Bowers didn't think twice about her habit before the recent recall of eggs that have been linked
to illnesses in nearly 2,000 people nationwide. Eggs linked to the two farms have made their way to
Ohio and 23 other states.

The recall has prompted her to buy Eggland's Best brand eggs exclusively, despite the cost,
which she said is sometimes twice the price of other brands.

The egg producer routinely vaccinates its hens against salmonella, the company said.

The wholesale cost of eggs regardless of brand has risen since Aug.13, when the recall was
announced, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The USDA did not have a national average price available yesterday. But in the Midwest, prices
rose from between 72 to 81 cents per dozen to $1.01-$1.10.

Those increases likely will be passed on to consumers within the next few weeks or months, said
Richard Stillman, at the Economic Research Service of the USDA.

Eating - or using - eggs is nearly unavoidable in a country that produced more than 90 billion
of them in 2009.

That's exactly why thousands of consumers, chefs, store owners and home cooks are scrambling
after this recent recall.

As the investigation into what caused the outbreak continues, grocery stores are busy reassuring
customers, while home cooks and restaurants are serving only well-done egg dishes. A cottage
industry has emerged offering eggs raised on smaller family farms instead of by large
corporations.

Bob Evans Farms, whose restaurants and other food operations were not affected by the recall,
used the incident as an opportunity to reinforce proper food safety and handling guidelines to its
employees, spokeswoman Margaret Standing said.

As the recall ballooned, grocery chains across the country checked their lists, yanking bad eggs
and posting signs informing customers which cartons were safe to buy.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said the company began pulling eggs from shelves
once it learned of the recall, including central Ohio Walmart stores and Sam's Club locations, a
spokeswoman said.

The recall has some smaller poultry farmers optimistic that more people will take a stronger
interest in cage-free or organic eggs.

Wayne Shingler, who has a small farm with free-range hens in Mifflin Township, said shoppers at
a local weekend farmers market bought up all the eggs available for sale.

And with evidence that egg prices are rising as a result of the recall - wholesale egg prices
are up 38percent since the recall began - Shingler thinks local egg producers could benefit.

"Someone could speculate that they may have to pay a little more for eggs anyway, so why not pay
for something a bit more reliable like eggs from free-range hens," he said. "I'm not sure if this
one recall will make a dramatic difference, but maybe it will."

The issue is significant, considering that Ohio is the second-largest producer of eggs in the
nation.

Ohio produced 7.2billion eggs in 2008, the most recent data available, said Jim Chakeres,
executive vice president of the Ohio Poultry Association.

He said the recall has called more attention to Ohio's disease prevention efforts, such as the
Ohio Egg Quality Assurance Program, which has worked since 1997 to decrease any incidences of
salmonella in eggs.

"Eggs are indeed safe," Chakeres said, noting that consumers should still "buy the freshest eggs
you can, make sure you refrigerate them as soon as you get them home and fully cook them before you
eat them.